UH-Hilo astronomy
center gets $3.9 million

The federal funds will go toward
designing educational exhibits

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By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.com

HILO >> The University of Hawaii-Hilo has secured $3.9 million in federal funds for planning and design of the Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center, the school announced.

The center is to be built on 9.1 acres at UH-Hilo's University Park of Science and Technology with a completion date late in 2004.

The university said the center will have five themes: Hawaiian heritage, history of astronomy, popular astronomy, advanced astronomy and space exploration.

The $28 million center will consist of 42,000 square feet.

The recently released $3.9 million will be used in part to design exhibits for a 26,000-square-foot portion of the center, said project director George Jacob.

The shape those exhibits take will determine the shape of the buildings housing them, he said.

One of the features will be an "object theater," Jacob said.

That will include movielike displays on a flat surface but will also display real objects placed in various locations, with the viewer's attention directed to them by lighting at appropriate moments.

"Your eye gets jaded with flat visuals," Jacob said.

A view of real objects stays with people after they leave, he said.

Release of an additional $8 million to begin construction is expected later this year, the university said.

Seven teams are working to complete the project in three years.

"The time line is indeed ambitious," the university said.

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UH Institute for Astronomy
University of Hawaii at Hilo